1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to photographic packing equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In commercial photographic processing operations, very high rates of processing must be achieved and maintained in order to operate profitably. For that reason, many rolls (or strips) of photographic film from various customers are typically spliced together for processing and printing purposes. After prints have been made from the photographic film, an individual customer's film must be separated from the large roll of film formed by the spliced-together film strips. Typically, the customer's film is cut into segments (or strips) of several frames each so that the segments can be placed flat in an envelope together with the customer's prints.
In the past, equipment has been developed to eliminate many of the operations required for cutting the film segments. One particularly advantageous apparatus, which automates film cutting, print paper cutting, print sorting, and packaging is known as the Pako Photopacker, manufactured by Pako Corporation, the assignee of the present application. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,114,349 by G. A. Jensen, L. A. Larson and R. E. Diesch; 4,139,978 by G. A. Jensen and A. J. Willenbring; and 4,139,980 by L. A. Larson and R. E. Diesch illustrate portions of mechanisms which have been used in the Pako Photopacker. The film cutting, conveying and packing mechanism is illustrated in FIG. 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,978, and is described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,980.
In the apparatus shown in the above mentioned U.S. patents, a multi-layer packaging strip is transported along a transversely inclined conveyor bed (best shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,978). The individual layers of the multi-layer packaging strip are separated from one another as the strip passes a film and print insertion station. The packaging strip is stopped at the film and print insertion station, and film segments are power driven by a film inserting mechanism into an opening between separated layers of the packaging strip. Similarly, the photographic prints are inserted into another opening created between other separated layers of the packaging strip. After the film and prints have been inserted, the packaging strip is advanced along the conveyor bed to other stations, at which the sides of envelopes to be formed from the continuous multi-layer packaging strip are sealed. An envelope side cutting assembly is positioned downstream of the side sealing apparatus, and cuts the sides of the envelopes along transverse separation lines. An envelope top sealing apparatus is also provided to seal the top of the envelope. The apparatus, therefore, provides sealed envelopes containing the customer's prints, the film segments from which those prints were made, and, in some cases, advertising materials or the like.